Stones
by Reincarnated Poet
Summary: I went to all the best parties, dated all the pretties girls, dressed in all the coolest clothes, knew all the latest gossip. I did all of those things for Reid, because of Reid.


Reincarnated Poet: Hello my freaky darlings! This is another in the series "Songs to the Grave" and it revolves around the quote by Robert Cody. It is Covenant based, however the next one will not be (I already have the next quote) Also, I'd like to mention that if you have a character you'd like to see written for, or a quote for that matter, I would be more than happy to write it. Now, on with our story.

Story Two of Songs to the Grave

"Have the courage to live. Anyone can die."

-Robert Cody

People sometimes wonder if I'm a bit slow in the head, or deaf, or rude, or mute. A pretty face to look at but there's not much going on upstairs. Nope, that boy's as dumb as a stump. I'm quiet, that's all, and I see more than anyone else thinks that I see. I hear more than anyone else things I hear, simple because I am quiet.

I see the way that my brothers look at each other, all worrying, well all but Reid, so I suppose its not a very large 'all' but rather an all but one. Caleb and Pogue stare worried glances as Reid's eyes once again darken and he does something foolish, like flipping a girl's skirt, jumping off a cliff, fixing a pretty girl's car. But there's something to be said for his lifestyle, and he's the one that told me.

We were on our way back from a night of forced aggression, back alley fights, and stolen drinks from behind the bar when he stumbled into the room and turned to me. "You know, Tyler," he said, face immediately sober. "You know, you've got to have the courage to live. Anyone can die." He said it so simply I thought for a moment he'd made it up. When he slumped to the bed and started snoring softly I recalled where I'd heard it from.

I rolled my eyes and climbed into my matching bed, not bothering to pull the covers up over my body or ever to strip off the jeans and boots that I'd wore. My eyes closed, and sleep came to call. It came briefly, stopping by just long enough to make me thoroughly drowsy when it left. His words bounced around in my head.

Have the courage to live. Anyone can die. I turned them over and over in my head, wondering just what Reid was trying to tell me. Knowing him, it couldn't be as straightforward as one would have thought. No, it couldn't simply be, live a little because eventually you're going to die. He'd brought up courage. I scoffed at that. As if I was afraid.

That caught at the back of my mind. Was I? No. Living was something I did everyday. I was Reid Garwin's best friend, by that fact alone I lived. I went to all the best parties, dated all the pretties girls, dressed in all the coolest clothes, knew all the latest gossip. I did all of those things for Reid, because of Reid.

That stopped me again. Was it all for Reid, or was it for me? Did I enjoy going to the parties? Did I like the girls? Was I comfortable in my own clothes? Did I really care if Brad and Janette were getting married next month?

The answer was simple enough. No, I really didn't.

That started a bevy of new questions. What _did I_ want to do? I liked reading. I liked listening to conversations until I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I wanted to quietly date some quiet girl who loved me for me and who could handle the secrets in my life.

I didn't want to live life like Reid or Pogue or even Caleb, with his quiet little mansion and his perfect girlfriend. I lay there for hours, thinking and contemplating what I was going to do next. The thought occurred to me to take a drive and I snagged my keys back from Reid's nightstand. The sun was just beginning to creep over the edge of the earth as I roared the Hummer to life and pulled out of the lot. It wasn't long before I parked the car by the cliffs and started walking.

It really was beautiful this time of the day. Memories flooded back to me of when we were a bit younger. There was a place, a good ten minute's walk from here, that we all used to jump off of into the water below. Well, we being Caleb, Pogue and Reid. I'd never done it. I'd always wanted to, but the knowledge that I might see the rocks too late to use wasn't something I was willing to trifle with. Before I even remembered making the decision to go there, I was sitting on the ledge they'd used to jump from.

I was just staring out over the water, my feet and legs itching to just take that one last step and be air born as a horn sounded behind me. I jumped slightly and saw Reid climbing out of a small black convertible. I rolled my eyes. That was not Reid Garwin's car.

"Ty?" He called to me, and I simply nodded my head back. "Come on get away from there, huh? It's not the right time of year for that yet." He walked toward me and I stood up, glancing below and his words for earlier rung in my ears. I could jump right now. I could throw all my caution away and jump. I could die as I hit the water the wrong way and crashed into the rocks hidden below the water as it rocked up against the side of the cliff face. I made the decision then, as I thought of what I'd really done in life to warrant this feeling of caution. Nothing. I hadn't earned it. I closed my eyes and felt a smile creep over my face.

Maybe I did do some of the things for me, and maybe I didn't do some of the things that could have been for me. I took one step backward and was falling. I saw Reid's face stare wide eyed down at me before I hit the water.

It was cold and it felt as though something hard had collided with my left leg. Instant pain shot up my leg and back and I used quickly, pulling myself from under the water and back up the cliff. I stood there, on one leg awkwardly next to the small convertible before toppling uselessly to the ground, catching the sight of Reid and he spun on his heels and ran back toward the car.

"What the hell are you doing, you suicidal idiot?" He yelled, laying a palm against the white bone that poked through my dark jeans and skin. He gritted his teeth and pushed, hard, setting the bone back into flesh, where the power would take care of it. The pain was lost on me as the rush of adrenaline faded.

"Gotta have the courage to live life, right? Everyone could die sitting up there, waiting for the perfect time, the perfect jump. Gotta have the stones to make the step." I said, watching my best friend's eyes widen in shock for a moment before he smiled.

"Alright, Evil Knievil, lets get you back to the dorms before you start lining up helicopters." He smiled as I climbed into the stolen car, noticing that the dash was completely unharmed. I rolled my eyes as his flashed black and the car roared to life.

"The Hummer's down a ways." I commented but he ignored it.

"We'll get it later." His voice was tight, more so than it had been earlier, and it scared me for a moment.

"What?" I asked him, wondering if something had actually bothered Reid Garwin.

"Nothing," he said quietly. "You know that sometimes having the stones for something doesn't really mean you have to do it." The words came out as a whisper and I smiled. I'd been trying to tell him that for years, now when the situations were reversed, I did just as he had done time and time before. I smiled and shook my head as I watched the sun move higher into the sky.


End file.
